The egg-shaped Elgato Avea Flare Portable Mood Lamp is a fun smart lighting accessory you can take outside.

The Elgato Avea Flare Portable Mood Lamp is yet another new smart light that doesn't need a hub to work. What sets is apart from the competition? Primarily the fact that it's shaped like an ostrich egg. It's also wireless and water-resistant, allowing you to extend your smart lighting to the great outdoots. It's a bit pricey at $99.99, and it lacks some of the features you'll find in the Philips Hue Go, but if you're looking for a whimsical, color-changing light for your next garden party, the Flare is worth a look.

Design and SetupThe light measures 8.7 inches high and 6 inches around. It weighs 1.17 pounds, making it easy to pick up and move from room to room. It's made of thick white plastic with a matte finish, and it's cut off at the bottom to form a flat base that can easily sit on the floor, a counter, or any other flat surface. On the bottom of the light you'll find a circular series of tiny rubber pads for grip, a metal induction ring for charging, and two rubber buttons. The Power button turns the light on and off, while the Mode button cycles through different brightness settings.

The Flare is a 40-watt-equivalent light capable of producing 430 lumens of brightness. That's brighter than the portable Philips Hue Go, which produces up to 300 lumens. It gives off cool or warm white light, with saturated colors that look quite bold when adjusted to the proper setting (more on that below). It's a good mood light, but like other bulbs of this variety, you can't expect it to fill an entire room.

Elgato rates the Flare IP65 for water resistance, which means it can withstand most splashes, including rain, so you can keep it outdoors. The Philips Hue Go is only rated IP20, so it can only withstand light humidity, like the steam produced from a shower. So if you want moody lighting during a summer rainstorm out on the patio, look no further than the Flare.

Setting up the light is quick and easy. It doesn't require a hub, so you can connect directly with your mobile device via Bluetooth 4.0. The Flare doesn't need to be plugged in either, but you should make sure it's charged by placing it on top of its flat, circular induction base (the base itself needs to be plugged into an outlet with the included adapter). The Flare uses a built-in lithium polymer battery that lasts up to eight hours, though it will stay on indefinitely as long as it's sitting atop the charging base. Once charged, download the free Elgato Avea app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Any device running Android 5 or later or iOS 9 or later will work. Follow the on-screen instructions, and the light will connect to the app.

I connected the Flare to a Samsung Galaxy S6in about a minute. Once paired, I would occasionally experience a drop in connection, but simply restarting the app and the light would fix this. Still, I never experienced this with the Hue Go, which connects over Wi-Fi via the Philips Hue bridge.

App and FeaturesThe Elgato Avea is clean and well-designed, with big, bright graphics and clear instructions. From the main screen you're able to select scenes, which are dynamic, color-changing light settings. A sidebar that opens when you swipe from the left allows you to view the current color of each light you have connected, and add or rename lights.

When you select a scene you're brought to a screen where you can tap to activate it. You can also fine-tune the vividness of the light so that it appears brighter or darker. A star icon in the corner lets you make that scene a Favorite, which moves it to the top of the main list. You can also hold and drag the scenes to reorder them. When you turn the Flare off and turn it back on it will resume the previously selected scene.

There's a decent amount of scenes to choose from. To describe a few: The relaxing Magic Hour cycles through shades of orange, pink, red, and yellow; Mountain Breeze phases through shades of blue, navy, and white; Cozy Flames recreates a fireplace with orange, red, and yellow; and Northern Glow recreates the Aurora Borealis.

You can select scenes from the Apple Watch if the Flare is connected to an Apple iPhone 6 or later. I tried this and found the watch to be responsive. However, you cannot customize your own mood lighting like you can with many other lights, including the Philips Hue Go.

You also can't set schedules for the Flare to turn an or off at a given time; you'll either need to do so manually on the light itself, or through the app when you're withing Bluetooth range. However, there is a basic wake-up alarm that lets you set a song of your choice to play from your mobile device as the light gradually brightens by your bedside. It works well, though it kicked in ten minutes before the alarm time I programmed, so plan accordingly. You also have to turn the alarm on every night, otherwise it shuts off after each use.

ConclusionsThe Elgato Avea Flare's primary appeal lies in its whimsical design and outdoor-friendly nature. The Apple Watch integration is a neat inclusion, though frankly, I'd rather have customized scenes or scheduling options. The Philips Hue Go has these options, along with support for If This Then That (IFTTT), though it requires a hub and can't be used outdoors. The Hue Go is likely a better choice if you're already invested in the Philips ecosystem. But if you're just giving things a try, the Flare is a fun, unique way to get started.

Timothy Torres is a Junior Analyst on PCMag's consumer electronics team. He covers wearables, digital home, and various cool gadgets including the occasional video game. He has written all manner of copy for Computer Shopper, The Jersey Journal, Radio One, Random House, and 2D-X. Before entering the tech world, he attended New York University and worked in education as an art instructor. In his spare time he dabbles in theater, sketches comics, eats a lot of sushi and watches too many movies.
Twitter: @pleasedtomeetya...
More »